Crush
by DetonatorSunshine
Summary: Written for prompt in which: "Carisi has a bit of a crush on the doc. The problem? George thinks the rookie has a crush on his boyfriend, Rafael Barba." Reviews/prompts always welcome.


Carisi has a bit of a problem. Normally he'd go to the doc with a problem. But the doc _is_ the problem. Namely, his crush on the doc.

He'd breezed into the squad room on a slow day in a sweater vest, hair cutely ruffled and asked the rookie where he could find Oliva Benson.

Carisi had looked up from his laptop into the brown doe eyes and suddenly lost his ability to speak.

"I…uh…Liv?" he'd stuttered, transfixed by the kind, patient gaze. Behind him, Rollins and Fin chuckled.

"Yes," the smaller man had said, nodding with a small smile. "I'm George Huang, the new FBI consultant. She should be expecting me."

"Oh uh right!" Carisi said, rising quickly, "I'll show you to her office."

It was only about ten feet away but that didn't stop Sonny from escorting him the whole way, a steady hand on the small of his back.

That had been weeks ago. Weeks of watching him, laughing at his jokes, pestering him with questions, finding excuses to grab him coffee and walk him to his car. The man was kind, sharp, brilliant, beautiful, damn good at his job. And Carisi wanted him.

But the doc, as far as he could tell, was straight. Or rather it seemed he simply didn't date _anyone_. Or if he was, his fellow colleagues knew nothing about it. The only one he seemed fairly close to was Barba.

"Hey counselor!" Carisi calls one day in the courthouse during a recess. Barba was making a beeline to the elevator, most likely to get another cup of coffee when he heard his title.

He turned, his face at once resigned and annoyed as he slipped into the elevator and held it open for the rookie.

"What can I do for you detective?" Barba drawls with a sigh, hastily typing something on his blackberry as the elevator begins its descent.

"So the doc…"

"Hmmm?" Barba prompts absentmindedly.

"Is he seeing anyone?"

Barba raises his eyes from his phone immediately, eyes roving critically over the blushing detective's face. His smile is amused and wary.

"Who wants to know?"

"Oh you know…Rollins…." He says, flushing more at Barba's less than impressed eyebrow raise. "And Fin and even Liv. There's been talk you know, rumors of him being…we just wanted to know if he was seeing anyone. That's all."

Barba snorts as the elevator doors open, shaking his head before slipping into the crowd of people in the lobby. Sonny watches him go, feeling a bit idiotic as the elevator doors close.

…

So Barba was no help. Either he didn't know or simply didn't feel comfortable telling his friend's business. Because they certainly must have been friends. The constant lunch outings and banter and occasional professional squabbles showed as much.

Carisi doesn't know what he can do. When he dated people in the past, men and women alike, he won them over most by impressing the people they were closest to. Mothers loved him, as did sisters and best friends.

But besides some woman named Alex George occasionally mentions with fondness, Barba seems to be his closest friend. So he decides to get close to Barba. It helps that he does plan on taking the BAR so at least his plan is doubly beneficial.

And maybe it's Liv, but Barba actually humors him. He lets him brainstorm and help draft closing statements and sit second chair in court. He ends up spending a lot of time with Barba which also means he gets to spend a lot of time with Huang.

But it doesn't seem to make things better. At first Huang was confused by him side-kicking for Barba, then was amused by it, and now seems to be annoyed.

Like now, with the three of them coordinating about getting around a crackpot psych defense. Barba is in his chair behind his desk, George and Sonny occupying two chairs in front of him.

"Sounds like you have a solid plan of attack," George comments.

"As long as you do what you do so well on the stand we'll be fine," Barba says, and Carisi raises his eyebrow at the rare compliment but brushes it off.

"We better get going," he says, checking his watch, "Opening statements start in a half-hour."

Barba rises with a sigh, straightening his burgundy and cream striped tie. "Well let's get this show on the road then."

He grabs his papers, his coffee, his phone and none of it leaves room for his briefcase.

"I'll get it," George says, with an eye roll of endearment.

"No, no I got it," Carisi assures taking it from the other man's grasp with a triumphant smile that says _see how helpful I can be?_

But George scowls and takes it from him with an uncharacteristic heat in his voice and says, "I said I'll get it."

Carisi looks shocked, and maybe a little hurt and Barba feels a bit like a bastard for wanting to laugh but he can't help it. Instead he looks between the hurt rookie and the upset shrink and says,

"Actually doctor there's something I wanted to talk to you about. Carisi why don't you go ahead and make sure they don't declare a mistrial?"

"You're letting me sit first chair?" Carisi asks in disbelief.

"For all of five minutes yes," Barba quips impatiently, "Go before I change my mind."

Sonny raises his hands in mock surrender. "Got it. I'm gone." And he bolts out the door with the excitement of a young child. The attorney watches him go with an exasperated shake of the head.

"Bonito," he prompts, looking at the doctor who is now looking at his feet, seemingly embarrassed.

"I know," George sighs, "I know. That was unprofessional."

"Perhaps," Barba amends with a shrug, walking over to the coffee. He refills his coffee cup before collapsing on the couch. "Care to tell me what that was about?"

George walks over to the couch and sits next to him, looking embarrassed and troubled.

"I think," he hesitates, licking his lips before biting them, "I think Carisi has a crush on you," he says, glancing at the attorney quickly. "I wasn't sure at first but he keeps asking to spend so much _time_ with you."

"Good doctor are you jealous?" Barba asks in amused disbelief, grinning as the doctor's blush only deepens. But then George looks at him, his brown eyes just a touch sad and Barba decides to end this before it can start.

He lays the coffee cup on the table and hoists the doctor into his lap. George lets out a little squeak of surprise but doesn't fight him.

"Hey," Rafael says softly, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not the one he likes. And even if I was so what?" He wiggles his eyes brows earning a small smile. "I have my hands full with a certain chiquito these days if you haven't noticed."

George smiles gently as Rafael kisses his forehead.

"Now," Rafael says rising, and pulling on his suit jacket. "To court?"

George nods and rises, face scrunching cutely in momentary confusion.

"Wait," he says, effectively stopping Barba in his tracks. "You said you're not the one he likes." He turns to look the attorney in the eye, his head cocked to the side. "Who does he like?"

Barba smirks, cupping the back of the shorter man's head affectionately. "You, George. He likes you." He chuckles. "Some dissector of behavior you are."

George's face fazes from confusion to surprise to embarrassment to amusement and back to confusion. "Me?"

"Yes," Barba says, "and the entirety of the NYPD couldn't help him if he tried something on my watch."

George shakes his head. "We have a case to try."

"Correction," Barba says, grabbing shoving various papers and shoving them into his briefcase before walking to the door. "We have a case to win."

Carisi, having forgotten his phone and witnessing the whole thing sprints like a bat out of hell, praying he's never in an even vaguely compromising-looking position with the shrink.

He decides his crush can take the backburner. Despite the fancy suits and love of theatre, he doubted Barba would let him make it out alive.


End file.
